Gormley sparks opposition row
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ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley has sparked a row with the opposition by highlighting the lack of Fine Gael and Labour voters who are in favour of the Lisbon Treaty.
He said that his party could not be blamed for a 'No' victory because it was the most "pro-European" and had more supporters intending to vote 'Yes' than any other party, according to the opinion polls.
"More so than FG and Labour, who apparently have a majority of people who are going to vote against. That is something they are going to have to ask themselves," he said.
He was speaking at a press conference organised at the request of the European Green Party movement, which is strongly in favour of a 'Yes' vote.
However, Fine Gael European Affairs spokeswoman Lucinda Creighton reacted angrily to Mr Gormley's comments.
Ms Creighton said she personally had been campaigning for the treaty in the Dublin South East constituency they share for the past three months.
"John Gormley hasn't appeared until last Saturday, with TV cameras on Grafton Street. That speaks for itself. No sign of him at the shopping centres, no sign of him at the doors, no sign of him at church gates," she said.
Labour Party campaign director Joe Costello TD said Mr Gormley would be better off avoiding recriminations at this stage.
"His own party have not been terribly active but we have been campaigning very strongly since our first press conference on December 12 last," he said.
Although 63pc of Green Party members voted in favour of the Lisbon Treaty at a special convention, the party has adopted a neutral stance -- with members free to campaign either way -- because this fell short of the two-thirds majority required.
But yesterday Mr Gormley said his party was "pro-Europe" for the simple reason that Europe had always been good for the environment.
He said the provision in the treaty for a petition from one million citizens to ask for legislation from the European Commission -- which he himself helped to draft -- was very positive. Even though the Commission is not obliged to respond, he said it would be "very unwise" to ignore it.
- Michael Brennan Political Correspondent
